#Guest Post from Erin Rhew ~ The Courage to Really Live ~ @ErinRhewBooks

Thank you to Cathy for hosting me today, and a big hello to Cathy’s readers! <waves> I’m currently on blog tour with my husband, Deek Rhew, to celebrate the release of his book and the spotlight feature my publisher is putting on my trilogy, The Fulfillment Series!

In 2007, I thought I was going to die. Not in the “OMG, I’m going to die” figurative sense, but in the literal “I’m sick enough to actually die” sense. I’m thankful to have a huge family and tons of friends who supported me through many surgeries and on the long recovery road.

This girl is dying.

Because of the great advances in modern medicine, I—thankfully—recovered. But what I discovered from my brush with death is the importance of truly living. So often, we walk through life with a long bucket list, but why wait? Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. Instead, take the bull by the horns and do the things you’ve always wanted to do. Put a concerted effort toward saving to go where you want to go (I’m a huge Dave Ramsey fan—budgeting is amazing), make the time to do what you want to do, and always, always spend time with the ones you love.

In 2011, I started writing a trilogy, and by 2013, it had been published. I’m a huge grammar nerd, and I always wanted to work for a publishing company. Now I do! A big romantic a heart, I’ve always wanted to meet that special someone who looks at me like I hung the moon and treats me like a queen (and of course, whom I feel the same way about). When I found that person, I married him! Deek is the most wonderful man in the world. The two of us have always wanted to travel, explore, and adventure, so we do. We’re saving money toward our long-term dreams (of being professional vagabonds and living in lots of different places for six month stints), and we explore and adventure all the time. In fact, we’ve been across the country several times—by plane, car, and train!

What’s on your “to do” list? What have you always wanted to do but never have? Start making plans to do those things today. Why wait? Life’s too short to not truly live!

Pics of Erin and Deek Living Life Up Large

Pacific Northwest Wedding

and Southern Wedding

I married the love of my life—twice! His family lives on the West Coast and mine on the East Coast, so we brought the wedding to them!

Holding my printed book in my hands for the first time! There’s nothing like it!

Deek has always wanted to get a caricature drawn, so we did!

We’ve both always wanted to get tattoos, so we got them! We now have a total of four, with plans for two more!

Deek’s never been to Washington D.C., so we went!

We both wanted to dance on The Big Piano before F.A.O. Schwarz closed in NYC.

Deek took me to Seattle because I’d never been.

(Lest you think we put all these trips on credit cards, think again. Dave Ramsey budgeting…we save for them all!)

Rode the train from coast to coast!

We’ve explored both the cold beaches of the West Coast

and the warm beaches of the East Coast!

If you have a dream, my friends, go for it! I can’t wait to see what you do with your time here on Earth! Thanks for hosting me, Cathy. Readers, stay tuned for your chance at a $50 Amazon gift card!

For those that don’t know, Erin is a young adult fantasy author who is married to adult thriller author, Deek Rhew. Together, they are “the Rhews,” and their street team is the Rhewination!

Deek and Erin– Join the Rhewination! 😉

Last week, Deek went on blog tour to celebrate the release of his latest book, 122 Rules. And this week, Erin is on tour to promote her fantasy trilogy, The Fulfillment Series!

So, here’s a little bit more about Erin and The Fulfillment Series. Please click the cover for Amazon UK.

Growing up on a small farm in the kingdom of Vanguard, seventeen-year-old Layla Givens lives a deceptively tranquil existence. But her carefully constructed life quickly falls apart when she’s abducted by a religious zealot who proclaims her The Fulfillment of an ancient peace prophecy and whisks her away to marry her greatest enemy.

Wilhelm, Prince of the Ethereals, is reluctant to meet his new bride. He’s grown up believing Vanguards are evil, an enemy to fight and fear…not love. Can he set aside his prejudices and work alongside Layla to bring lasting peace after centuries of war?

Nash, a loner who has never fit in, carries a huge secret, one big enough to destroy both kingdoms. When he accidentally meets Layla, he’s no longer content to live in the shadows, but he must resist his growing attraction–for her safety and for the longevity of the two kingdoms.

When Nash’s secret is revealed, a firestorm sweeps through both realms, with Layla at the center. Now she must choose between duty and desire while the fate of two nations hangs in the balance.

About Erin Rhew

Erin Rhew is an editor, a running coach, and the author of The Fulfillment Series. Since she picked up Morris the Moose Goes to School at age four, she has been infatuated with the written

word. She went on to work as a grammar and writing tutor in college and is still teased by her family and friends for being a member of the “Grammar Police.”

A Southern girl by blood and birth, Erin now lives in a rainy pocket of the Pacific Northwest with the amazingly talented (and totally handsome) writer Deek Rhew and their “overly fluffy,” patient-as-a-saint writing assistant, a tabby cat named Trinity. She and Deek enjoy reading aloud to one another, running, lifting, boxing, eating chocolate, and writing side-by-side.

Thank you, Shelley! Growing up in the Southern US, it never occurred to me that beaches could be cold, especially in the summer! LOL! My mind has been expanded. Deek and I are saving up to head over to Europe soon, so I look forward to experiencing the cold beaches there.

Reading Challenge 2015

Site header by….

Photographs shown on this site are my own/purchased by me or taken from websites with free pictures. Credit has been given where applicable and care has been taken not to infringe copyright but if you see a photo/image which should not have been used please do contact me to correct the situation.